Liberals on high alert to fend off budget upset as majority dwindles

British Columbia Lt-Gov. Judith Guichon delivers the throne speech at the B.C. Legislature in Victoria, B.C., on Tuesday February 12, 2013. The Liberal government will table a budget on Feb. 19 and a provincial election will be held May 14.

Photograph by: Darryl Dyck
, THE CANADIAN PRESS

VICTORIA —B.C. Liberal MLAs will have to remain especially close to the legislature next week to avoid being deeply embarrassed, and possibly worse, by a watchful opposition eager to exploit their thinning numbers.

With the government set to introduce a budget on Tuesday — a confidence measure that needs a majority of support if the government is to stand — the Liberals face a high-stakes showdown, where every body counts.

The issue arises as the Liberals’ slim four-seat voting majority in the house over opposition forces has been eroded even further by personal circumstances: Kevin Falcon is away from Victoria waiting for his child to be born; Pat Pimm has been at home this week recovering from knee surgery; and Blair Lekstrom will be away until Wednesday for his daughter’s wedding.

Meanwhile, retiring members, who are still crucial for daily votes, are turning their minds to life after politics.

During question period Thursday — after Kash Heed departed early for the week — the Liberals were left with just a two-seat majority over the NDP and four independents.

The current standing in the house is 45 Liberals, 36 New Democrats and four independents. The Liberal count includes Speaker Bill Barisoff, who would only be allowed to vote to break a tie.

“The government needs to hold a majority in the legislature or it’s no longer the government,” NDP house leader John Horgan said Thursday.

“On matters of confidence, nothing is more important to the functioning of the province of British Columbia than a budget, and if they can’t pass one, they don’t deserve to be in government and we’ll be into an election.”

Horgan said he won’t shy away from trying to topple the government if the opportunity arises.

“It’s my belief that the government has lost its legitimacy with the public. It’s my belief that people are waiting for May, anxiously, and if the government doesn’t have the support of the majority of the members of the legislature then it should fall.”

The B.C. Liberals started their term in 2009 with a 13-seat majority, but that has been whittled down through byelections and defections.

Premier Christy Clark said Thursday she is confident the budget will pass, but added: “We’ll certainly see next week.

“I never, ever, in my public life have wanted to guess ahead and predict what any legislature might do — I don’t think that’s ever a good bet in politics — but I’m confident about it.”

Clark confirmed that on Tuesday she called ex-Liberal MLA John Slater, who now sits as an independent, asking if he would rejoin the Liberal caucus. Slater left the caucus in January after being refused the party’s nomination,

“My purpose was to tell John that he still had a lot of friends in our caucus and that if he decided that he wanted to rejoin the caucus I thought that people would welcome him back,” she said.

Slater — who viewed the call as the premier trying to collect votes for the budget — said the request was a non-starter.

“My credibility in my riding would take a beating,” he said Thursday.

“The bottom line is I said ‘no.’”

B.C. Liberal whip Eric Foster, tasked with maintaining a constant government majority in the house, said: “There’s always people coming and going. We watch the numbers very closely and we’ll have our people in the house.

“It’s certainly a challenge for the members that are retiring, and for us as far as that goes, but they are all loyal to the party and, especially for those who have been here for a long time, they’ll be here to help us,” he said.

“This is not new math. The numbers are pretty simple. They’re tight, there’s no question about it. We just have to be on our toes.”

To lose a confidence vote, the legislature’s four independents — Slater, Bob Simpson, John van Dongen and Vicki Huntington — would have to vote against the government.

On Thursday, some of them said that is not a foregone conclusion.

“If the budget they’re going to present makes sense then I’ll support it,” said Slater. “If it doesn’t make sense to me then I won’t support it.”

“(The NDP) should never take for granted that four sitting independents are going to automatically stand with the opposition,” said Simpson.

“That’s a bit of arrogance on their part.”

A vote against the government during budget debate would be deemed a show of non-confidence, but would not necessarily trigger a snap election.

Depending on the exact circumstance, government may have the option of calling a subsequent vote — when it has more favourable numbers — to affirm confidence in its majority.

Even if the government was forced into a situation of non-confidence, the matter would go to Lt.-Gov. Judith Guichon. Given an election is already scheduled for May 14, Guichon would have the option to allow that date to stand.

British Columbia Lt-Gov. Judith Guichon delivers the throne speech at the B.C. Legislature in Victoria, B.C., on Tuesday February 12, 2013. The Liberal government will table a budget on Feb. 19 and a provincial election will be held May 14.

We encourage all readers to share their views on our articles and blog posts. We are committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion, so we ask you to avoid personal attacks, and please keep your comments relevant and respectful. If you encounter a comment that is abusive, click the "X" in the upper right corner of the comment box to report spam or abuse. We are using Facebook commenting. Visit our FAQ page for more information.